Double celebrations in Bradford’s battle against diabetes

It’s a double cause for celebration in Bradford’s battle against diabetes as patients who have changed their lifestyle, and the champions who have helped them, are recognised for their achievements.

Fifteen Bradford Beating Diabetes (BBD)champions and patients, who have been on the intensive lifestyle change programme (ILCP), will attend a ‘graduation’ ceremony on 14 April to celebrate their success in tackling diabetes.

The patients, who were identified as being at risk of developing diabetes, have completed an ILCP course to support them in making changes to their lifestyle.

The BBD champions – a mix of volunteers, practice staff, health trainers and people who have previously worked as health champions – are committed to making sure people receive the right treatment and support, and have completed a training course to make sure they are delivering expert advice and support to patients.

NHS Bradford City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) runs the BBD campaign. There are over 8,300 registered diabetic patients in the Bradford City area with an additional 8,700 people known to be at moderate or high risk of developing the most common type of diabetes: Type 2. There are potentially a further 29,000 people still at risk of developing diabetes.

And in the 16 months since the campaign got under way, there are now around 1,000 newly-diagnosed patients in the city. A further 10,000 patients have received a brief lifestyle intervention from their family doctor, whilst almost 200 have been enrolled on ILCP sessions.

The newly trained champions will add to the team already working with patients who, because are at risk of developing diabetes, were referred to the service by their GP.

The ILCP sessions, which cater for 10 to 15 people, are informal and friendly but with key messages about lifestyle changes including healthy eating and exercise – all of which will be aimed at preventing and delaying the onset of diabetes. These lifestyle changes also reduce the risk of developing other serious conditions such as cancer, stroke and heart disease.

The BBD champions come from a range of backgrounds and between them speak a number of languages, including the main south Asian languages. Their training culminates in the presentation of a Royal Society of Public Health understanding health improvement award. They were chosen because of their good mix of skills and their strengths in community engagement.

Dr Sohail Abbas, one of the clinicians leading the BBD campaign, said: “This is a really proud occasion for the campaign as it recognises the hard work and commitment of both patients and the champions to help prevent Type 2 diabetes.

“We are seeing some excellent results – and this is down to local GPs and the ILCP groups working with patients to help them make changes that can keep them healthy, whether they already have diabetes or are at risk of developing it.

“The work the BBD champions do is both innovative and proactive: they provide vital and positive support that can stop people from being ill. The message is all about lifestyle change and the difference that can make, and I’m pleased that so many patients have got involved and seen the course through.”